Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with this Skillet Cheesy Enchilada Stew

Today is Cinco de Mayo, a day of celebration and lots of good food and drinks. So I had to share this amazing dish I made. Eh bien, it’s not really a dish – it’s an entire pot full of ooey-gooey cheesy, soy curl-y goodness.

Pour une raison, I had cheese fondue in my mind. I’ve only had it once, in a Mexican restaurant. It was just a small pot of spicy cheese with a bowl of tortilla chips next to it for dipping. It was sooooo unhealthy and soooo good. It was delicious and kind of disgusting at the same time.

So I wanted to make something scoopable and gooey but much healthier. And I wanted to do it on the stove top so a casserole or bake was out. I didn’t actually decide on any plan but just cooked and let it evolve on its own which is my favorite way to cook. I might write recipes but I hate following them. 🙂

I started at my favorite place – with a bunch of soy curls. Butler Soy Curls are like magic beans to me. I would trade almost anything to have them. I cooked up the soy curls with a bunch of Mexican spices until they were crisp and browned. Then I put them in a bowl and tried desperately not to eat them. I failed. I always fail at not munching them while I continue cooking. That’s why I always make extra 😉

You could leave them in the pot and continue on with the stew but I like to keep the soy curls crisp so I don’t put them back in the pot until the end. I sauteed the aromatics – oignon, poivron, jalapeno and garlic – and then used whatever veggies I had.

Because I love cooking root to stem, I julienned the broccoli stalks and cooked them too. I added broccoli, mushrooms and black beans. Next came the sauce made with crushed tomatoes and my secret – a bit of brine. When you add the brine from green olives or jalapenos, it gives the sauce this tang that is so good and makes the sauce taste a bit more Mexican. If you don’t have any jarred condiments with brine, you can use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.

After the stew is cooked and thick, we add the cheese. You can use shredded cheese like Go Veggie’s Mexican Shreds but I wanted big, thick pieces of melted cheese so I tore slices of Go Veggie Pepper Jack and topped the stew with them. I covered the pot and let it melt.

When it was done, I had a huge pot of ooey-gooey veggies and soy curl stew. I toasted up some garlic bread and Tom and I just scooped up stew with the bread. I imagine if there had been more than just the two of us, I would have just put the whole pot in the center of the table so everyone could scoop but we put some in bowls for individual scooping.

Dans la même poêle, heat more oil. Add the onion and saute for 4 minutes, jusqu'à tendreté. Add the bell peppers and cook for 4 minutes jusqu'à tendreté. Mix in the garlic and jalapeno and cook for 1 minutes jusqu'à ce que parfumé. Add the julienned broccoli stalks and cook for 3 minutes jusqu'à tendreté. Add in the broccoli florets and the mushrooms. Toss to mix all the veggies and let cook for a few minutes until the mushrooms start to brown. Finalement, mix in the black beans.

Pour in the tomatoes, hot sauce and either some brine from jarred jalapenos, pickles or green olives. If you don’t have that, use vinegar. Add in the herbs and spices and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors combine and the sauce thicken.

Return the soy curls to the pot along with the black olives and toss to coat them with sauce. Tear the vegan cheese slices and top the stew with them. Cover the pot and let the cheese melt into the stew. Goûtez pour les ajustements d'assaisonnement. Serve with crusty bread or tortillas for dipping and scooping.

Dans la même poêle, heat more oil. Add the onion and saute for 4 minutes, jusqu'à tendreté. Add the bell peppers and cook for 4 minutes jusqu'à tendreté. Mix in the garlic and jalapeno and cook for 1 minutes jusqu'à ce que parfumé. Add the julienned broccoli stalks and cook for 3 minutes jusqu'à tendreté. Add in the broccoli florets and the mushrooms. Toss to mix all the veggies and let cook for a few minutes until the mushrooms start to brown. Finalement, mix in the black beans.

Pour in the tomatoes, hot sauce and either some brine from jarred jalapenos, pickles or green olives. If you don’t have that, use vinegar. Add in the herbs and spices and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors combine and the sauce thicken.

Return the soy curls to the pot along with the black olives and toss to coat them with sauce. Tear the vegan cheese slices and top the stew with them. Cover the pot and let the cheese melt into the stew. Goûtez pour les ajustements d'assaisonnement. Serve with crusty bread or tortillas for dipping and scooping.